Tracking sugar but loving fruit
missblondi2u
Posts: 851 Member
Greetings! I have been retooling my diet to cut added sugar as much as possible, with a goal of staying under about 20 grams per day. Now that I've found good low sugar substitutes for my bread, salad dressing, etc., and adapted to black coffee, it's actually been easier than I anticipated. Without having to make room for all the sweet treats I used to enjoy daily, like the 300+ calorie Haagen Daz I would eat after dinner, I feel like I can eat so much more food while staying in my calorie budget.
I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.
The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!
I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.
The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!
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Replies
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Cutting added sugar is great and will save you calories in the long run. but unless you have a medical reason to avoid sugar (like T2 diabetes), there is no real reason to obsess over sugar.15
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For me personally, I watch my sugar/carbs, and don't obsess too much about the final number each day under the Sugar column. Unless it's to control a medical issue or something serious like that, the best thing is to unlearn that sugar = bad.
Most stuff has sugar in and to be honest fruit is generally more filling (due to fibre, etc.), so you're probably not going to match the sugar output in a pint of ice cream with fruit alone.
It's just a number on your MFP diary (same as when MFP tries to predict your weight in 5 weeks' time and is almost always wrong). Enjoy your fruit, it's good for you
And if it helps, by all means delete the sugar total, sometimes it's good to have mental strategies to cope with eating less.
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Cutting added sugar is great and will save you calories in the long run. but unless you have a medical reason to avoid sugar (like T2 diabetes), there is no real reason to obsess over sugar.
I get that. I'm cutting sugar to cut calories, not because of any underlying medical condition. I don't think sugar is some kind of boogey man. But I still want to track it without having to subtract the fruit from my total manually.2 -
biscuitforcefield wrote: »For me personally, I watch my sugar/carbs, and don't obsess too much about the final number each day under the Sugar column. Unless it's to control a medical issue or something serious like that, the best thing is to unlearn that sugar = bad.
Most stuff has sugar in and to be honest fruit is generally more filling (due to fibre, etc.), so you're probably not going to match the sugar output in a pint of ice cream with fruit alone.
It's just a number on your MFP diary (same as when MFP tries to predict your weight in 5 weeks' time and is almost always wrong). Enjoy your fruit, it's good for you And if it helps, by all means delete the sugar total, sometimes it's good to have mental strategies to cope with eating less.
Thanks. I am enjoying the fruit! For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm really tasting it. But 1/2 cup of ice cream does have about the same amount of sugar as my peach did.1 -
missblondi2u wrote: »Greetings! I have been retooling my diet to cut added sugar as much as possible, with a goal of staying under about 20 grams per day. Now that I've found good low sugar substitutes for my bread, salad dressing, etc., and adapted to black coffee, it's actually been easier than I anticipated. Without having to make room for all the sweet treats I used to enjoy daily, like the 300+ calorie Haagen Daz I would eat after dinner, I feel like I can eat so much more food while staying in my calorie budget.
I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.
The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!
If it works for you, it's fine, just please don't make those entries you are deleting the sugar from "public".
I personally don't pay attention to the sugar number in my diary. I do try to choose items at the grocery with less or no added sugar when realistic, and I figure if I'm hitting my calorie, protein, and fiber goals then sugar is probably falling in line anyway.
You've come up with a pretty creative way of dealing with the situation, it would probably confuse the heck out of me
but if it makes sense to you that's what matters! 7 -
missblondi2u wrote: »Greetings! I have been retooling my diet to cut added sugar as much as possible, with a goal of staying under about 20 grams per day. Now that I've found good low sugar substitutes for my bread, salad dressing, etc., and adapted to black coffee, it's actually been easier than I anticipated. Without having to make room for all the sweet treats I used to enjoy daily, like the 300+ calorie Haagen Daz I would eat after dinner, I feel like I can eat so much more food while staying in my calorie budget.
I've never been much of a fruit eater, but now that my palate is changing I'm starting to crave so many new things, and I'm reaching for the fruit bowl more and more. The tree-ripened peach I had the the other day, for example, was one of the most heavenly things I've ever eaten, but it weighed in at over 9 ounces and had over 20 grams of sugar by itself. I know that eating fruit is good for me, and I don't want to obsess so much over the number in my sugar column that I deprive myself of the nutritional joy that is fruit, but that number is still important to me.
The solution I've come up with is to edit entries for the fruits I eat by deleting the number in the sugar column. It will still log the carbs, but my sugar total will more accurately reflect added sugar, which is what I'm really interested in. I realize there is also natural sugar in things like nuts and dairy, but I'm less worried about those because the amounts aren't nearly as high as for fruit.
I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this strategy. Thanks!
If it works for you, it's fine, just please don't make those entries you are deleting the sugar from "public".
I personally don't pay attention to the sugar number in my diary. I do try to choose items at the grocery with less or no added sugar when realistic, and I figure if I'm hitting my calorie, protein, and fiber goals then sugar is probably falling in line anyway.
You've come up with a pretty creative way of dealing with the situation, it would probably confuse the heck out of me but if it makes sense to you that's what matters!
This is what I was thinking too. There are enough incorrect database entries without people intentionally messing them up.
I also think it's creative, and if it works for you, then great.
I personally don't worry about sugar. It's counted in my carbs (not that I worry about those either). I find that when I focus on getting enough fat and proteins, my sugar levels are naturally lower.
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No, I didn't make my entry public, just saved under "My Foods."4
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Another option would be to make it a point to get a sensible minimum of protein and healthy fats daily, plus 5+ (ideally 10+) servings of varied, colorful fruits and veggies daily, within calorie goal. If that's happening, there's no particular reason to worry about sugar (added or otherwise), as long as it doesn't cause you to have cravings, and it's not medically contraindicated for you.
The reason major health entities (World Health Organization, U.S. Dept of Agriculture, etc.) suggest limiting added sugars is that those tend to have lots of calories, and consuming them either drives out needed nutrition, or - if nutrient goals are achieved - causes people to exceed sensible calorie levels.
If you're checking all the boxes nutritionally, and staying in your calorie goal, and have no medical (or appetite-related) reason to limit sugar, why worry about it?
I changed my MFP diary page to stop tracking sugar and started tracking fiber instead, when I realized that I was going over the MFP default sugar goal every day while the only added sugar I was eating was a tiny bit of concentrated fruit juice well down the ingredient list in a single daily 30-calorie tablespoon of all-fruit spread. All the rest of the sugar was coming from fruit, veggies, and no-sugar-added dairy foods - all sugars the plants and the cows put there. There was just no point in tracking sugar, for me. YMMV.5 -
Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.22
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elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
OP specifically said she had no medical reason to limit added sugars (which presumably extends to carbs) and was only doing this to help control calories.
Why would you therefore recommend cutting carbs - which would include a restriction on things like fruits and vegetables?12 -
elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
Why does OP have to cut either one?7 -
elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
All carbs turn to sugar. Some just take longer than others. Which they should have covered in your class.9 -
The reason major health entities (World Health Organization, U.S. Dept of Agriculture, etc.) suggest limiting added sugars is that those tend to have lots of calories, and consuming them either drives out needed nutrition, or - if nutrient goals are achieved - causes people to exceed sensible calorie levels.
This is exactly why I'm cutting sugar.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
Why does OP have to cut either one?
I don't HAVE to do anything I CHOSE to cut sugar to help cut my calories. 5 -
missblondi2u wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
Why does OP have to cut either one?
I don't HAVE to do anything I CHOSE to cut sugar to help cut my calories.
We're aware of that. She was responding to the poster who suggested that you cut carbs rather than focusing on sugar.
It sounds like you have an idea that will work for you. All the best.3 -
To be clear--I am not saying that cutting sugar is necessary for my weight loss. I'm saying that I decided to cut added sugar from my diet as much as I comfortably can to help manage my calories. And a wonderful by-product of doing so is my new-found appreciation for fruit. I've never, in my life, enjoyed a piece of fruit as much as that freaking peach 6
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Sounds fine to me. Whatever works for you! I love me some fruit0
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missblondi2u wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
Why does OP have to cut either one?
I don't HAVE to do anything I CHOSE to cut sugar to help cut my calories.
I was responding to someone saying that you should be cutting carbohydrates. However you want to cut calories by eliminating foods you don't think are worth it, I support that. I just don't think people should feel that they *have* to cut sugar or carbohydrates in order to be successful.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I was responding to someone saying that you should be cutting carbohydrates. However you want to cut calories by eliminating foods you don't think are worth it, I support that. I just don't think people should feel that they *have* to cut sugar or carbohydrates in order to be successful.
Thanks for the clarification. I lost almost 70 pounds here without ever looking at my sugar intake, so I get it. I'm just giving this a try, and so far there's been nothing but good coming from it. Well, except for the near-riot caused by my refusing the obligatory office birthday cake But that's a different story. 2 -
I track fiber instead of sugar. Most people don't get enough fiber and it is important for health. Most of my sugar comes from fruit, so I don't worry too much. Which is good because summer fruit!2
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elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
Just to be clear, your body can and does, convert fats and proteins into glucose. Its through a process called glucenogenesis.
OP, you are doing a great job. Try not to overly stress on this.2 -
I track fiber instead of sugar. Most people don't get enough fiber and it is important for health. Most of my sugar comes from fruit, so I don't worry too much. Which is good because summer fruit!
See, most of my sugar did not come from fruit. It came from things like Snickers and Dr. Pepper (of course), but also from salad dressings and peanut butter and other places I didn't even think about. So taking the time to pay attention to my sugar total has proven useful to me.1 -
collectingblues wrote: »elsie6hickman wrote: »Rather than cutting sugar, perhaps you should be cutting carbs which turn to sugar in the body. Good fresh fruits for that are peaches, cherries, grapes, oranges, apples, pears. Until my husband was diagnosed with Type 2, and we went to a class that spent 4 hours on food, measuring, weighing and correctly reporting, I was never so aware of the need for healthy sugars, which create energy.
All carbs turn to sugar. Some just take longer than others. Which they should have covered in your class.
Yes, they did. But the fruits I mentioned are slow burners and won't spike your blood sugar. I'm not sure where you are coming from. I think my first sentence acknowledged this. What am I not getting?5 -
The naturally occurring sugar present in fruit is processed more slowly than added sugar, and releases glucose gradually, which is why you don't get sugar highs from fruit. You're also taking time to eat the whole fruit which has fibre and vitamins. I have 2-3 portions of fruit a day, occasionally 4, and I do look at the total from the Sugar column, but as most of mine comes from naturally occurring sugars I don't get too wound up over it. I'm T2 diabetic so I have to watch my added sugars, but if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs. I wouldn't have too many bananas in a day, as they're high in potassium, but two to three portions of fruit a day, eg a natural handful of grapes, strawberries or cherries/a medium apple, orange or pear/two average size plums or satsumas, should be fine.0
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Millicent3015 wrote: »if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs.
I agree with this, but how do you track that added sugar when fruit is part of your diet. You have to take the total sugar number and subtract out all your fruit, which is a pain. If the sugar from fruit isn't something I'm worried about, why not just take that sugar out of the equation by not logging it under sugar?0 -
missblondi2u wrote: »Millicent3015 wrote: »if you don't have any medical issues, aren't on a very low carb diet (where you have fruit and veg low in natural sugars), and just want to lower your added sugars intake, you don't really have to restrict fruit, veg, milk or complex carbs.
I agree with this, but how do you track that added sugar when fruit is part of your diet. You have to take the total sugar number and subtract out all your fruit, which is a pain. If the sugar from fruit isn't something I'm worried about, why not just take that sugar out of the equation by not logging it under sugar?
You cant track the difference until the food labels are updated to show the difference.1 -
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missblondi2u wrote: »
You can create a food category for fruit and another for others. So like a breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruit/veggies, and than treats. Than you can kind of look at the categories.
Where it gets a little unique is things like flavored Greek yogurts, etc where its a mox of both.2 -
You can create a food category for fruit and another for others. So like a breakfast, lunch, dinner, fruit/veggies, and than treats. Than you can kind of look at the categories.
Where it gets a little unique is things like flavored Greek yogurts, etc where its a mox of both.
I like the idea of separating my fruits and veggies, especially to see what percentage of my calories they represent. I would still have to subtract the sugar from my fruit/veg from the total, but it would be easier with them all grouped together. Thanks for the suggestion!1 -
My dog ate my sugar today, so that ended up lower than I was expecting. I wanted to enjoy the last of a watermelon and a few strawberries then put the plate down on a low side table and left to answer the door. Came back to an empty plate. Thankfully I hadn't eaten any of it yet. I would have been so peeved if I ate some and didn't know how much to log. Well, at least I know he cares. I pretty sure he cleaned the plate because he didn't want me to eat all that sugar.
Kidding aside, I see no value in tracking sugar. Whether it's added or naturally occurring, the correlation with weight gain is only because people consume foods that are high in added sugar (and fat) excessively without controlling their calories. For those people, getting less added sugar may (or may not) result in fewer calories. For us calorie counters added sugar is a near meaningless number.
Everyone knows a candy bar has sugar. Not everyone knows some salad dressings have a couple of grams of sugar, but what does that mean in terms of dieting? Nothing if the dressing is logged and the calories are accounted for.5
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